Intake device for multi-cylinder internal combustion engine

Abstract

 In an intake device for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, comprising a pair of resonance chambers (Cr-l,Cr-r) and a pair of resonance passages (18), the resonance chambers and the resonance passages are disposed in parallel in a V-space in the internal combustion engine with a dividing wall (24) interposed therebetween, thereby providing a compactified intake system. In the intake device, the resonance chambers are defined in one of upper and lower assembly box portions (21), while the resonance passages are defined in the other assembly box portion, and an on-off valve (25) capable of changing suction characteristics of the internal combustion engine being provided in a plate-like valve unit dividing opened surfaces of the two box portions. This enables a reasonable layout of the on-off valve. Further, in the intake device, the resonance chambers are capable of communicating with each other through a communication chamber having a predetermined volume. This ensures both of a resonance supercharge effect and an inertia supercharge effect.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an intake device designed to provide an increase in volume efficiency of a multi-cylinder combustion engine by controlling the variation in intake gas pressure in an intake system.

[0002] There is an already known intake device for multi-­cylinder internal combustion engines, which is designed to increase the volume efficiency in a region of from a lower speed to a higher speed by controlling the length and volume of the intake system in a variable manner in accordance with the operational condition of the engine to exhibit one of two effects: a resonance effect that variations in intake gas pressure resonate between cylinders which produce no suction interference and an inertia effect utilizing the fact that a negative pressure wave produced at the beginning of suction for every cylinder is reflected at an increased volume portion provided in the intake system back to an intake port (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 169627/85).

[0003] The above intake device comprises a pair of resonance chambers defined in the increased volume portion provided in the intake system and communicating with groups of cylinders having such an order of ignition that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, and an on-off valve provided between the chambers for permitting the chambers to be put into and out of communication with each other, whereby controlling of the opening and closing of the on-off valve causes the intake system to be switched to a resonance supercharge system or an inertia supercharge system. Further, controlling of the opening and closing of another on-off valve provided between a pair of resonance passages connected to upstream sides of the pair of resonance chambers causes the speed region of the engine permitting exhibition of a resonance supercharge effect in a lower speed region to be switched at two stages, thereby increasing the volume efficiency over a totally wider speed region of the engine.

[0004] When such intake device is disposed in a V-shaped space in a V-shaped multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, it is difficult to suitably dispose the resonance passages and the resonance chambers without hindering the suction efficiency, because the space is extremely narrow. An on-off valve capable of changing the suction characteristics is also provided in a resonance chamber assembly box provided with the resonance passages and the resonance chambers. However, the disposition of the on-off valve within the resonance chamber assembly box causes problems of not only an increase in size of the intake system to provide an interference with the layout thereof, but also of a complication of the structure, resulting in an increased cost of manufacture. Further, in an intake device which is designed to establish a resonance supercharge system or an inertia supercharge system by permitting the resonance passages and the resonance chambers to be put into or out of communication each other through the on-off valve, it is extremely difficult to set the volumes of the resonance passages and the resonance chambers so that any of the resonance supercharge effect and the inertia supercharge effect may be optimally exhibited.

[0005] Therefore, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a reasonable layout of an intake system comprising resonance passages and resonance chambers in a narrower V-space in a V-shaped multi-cylinder internal combustion engine.

[0006] It is a second object of the present invention to provide a reasonable layout of on-off valves capable of changing suction characteristics in a resonance chamber assembly box comprising resonance passages and resonance chambers.

[0007] Further, it is a third object of the present invention to optimally exhibit any of a resonance supercharge effect and an inertia supercharge effect in an intake device designed to establish a resonance supercharge system and an inertia supercharge system by permitting the resonance passages and the resonance chambers to be put into or out of communication with each other through on-off valves.

[0008] To achieve the above first object, according to the present invention, it is proposed an intake device for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, the engine being V-shaped and including left and right groups of cylinders having such an order of ignition that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, and the intake device comprising a pair of resonance chambers independently communicating with the left and right groups cylinders, and a pair of resonance passages communicating at their down-­stream sides with the resonance chambers and at their upstream sides with the atmosphere through a throttle valve, wherein the pair of resonance chambers and the pair of resonance passages are disposed in parallel in a V-space defined between the left and right groups of cylinders with a common dividing wall interposed therebetween.

[0009] With the above construction, the resonance chambers and the resonance passages for establishing a resonance supercharge system are disposed in parallel in the V-space defined between the left and right groups of cylinder in the V-­shaped multi-cylinder internal combustion engine with the common dividing wall interposed therebetween and therefore, both of the resonance chambers and the resonance passages are reasonably contained within the V-space. This provide a compact sized intake system to enable an effective utilization of a space within an engine room.

[0010] To achieve the above second object, according to the present invention, there is proposed an intake device for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, comprising a pair of resonance chambers independently communicating with groups of cylinders having such an order of ignition that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, and a pair of resonance passages communicating at their downstream sides with the resonance chambers and at their upstream sides with the atmosphere through a throttle valve, wherein the intake device further includes a resonance chamber assembly box which comprises an upper assembly box portion opened at a lower surface thereof, a lower assembly box portion opened at an upper surface thereof, and a plate-like valve unit dividing the opened surfaces of the upper and lower assembly box portions, the pair of resonance chambers being formed in one of the assembly box portions, the pair of resonance passages being formed in the other assembly box portion, and an on-­off valve capable of changing suction characteristics of the engine being provided in the valve unit.

[0011] With the above construction, and among the upper assembly box portion, the lower assembly box portion and the plate-like valve unit dividing the opened surface of the two assembly box portions, which constitute the resonance chamber assembly box, the left and right resonance chambers are defined in one of the assembly box portions, the resonance passages are formed in the other assembly box portion, and the on-off valve is provided in the valve unit. This provides a resonable layout of the pair of resonance chambers, the pair of resonance passages and the on-off valve within the resonance chamber assembly box, leading to not only a compact intake system, but also to a simplified structure thereof to enable a reduction in manufacture cost.

[0012] Again to achieve the second object, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is proposed an intake device for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, comprising a pair of resonance chambers independ­ently communicating with groups of cylinders having such an order of ignition that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, and a pair of resonance passages communicating at their downstream sides with the resonance chambers and at their upstream sides with the atmosphere through a throttle valve, wherein the intake device further inlcudes a resonance chamber assembly box which comprises an upper assembly box portion opened at a lower surface thereof, a lower assembly box portion opened at an upper surface thereof, and a plate-like valve unit dividing the opened surfaces of the upper and lower assembly box portions, the pair of resonance chambers being formed in one of the assembly box portions, the pair of resonance passages being formed in the other assembly box portion, and the valve unit including an on-off valve for changing the length of the resonance passages and another on-off valve for permitting the resonance chambers to be put into communication with each other, these valves being disposed in a plane where the valve unit lies.

[0013] With the above construction, the on-off valve for changing the length of the resonance passages and the another on-off valve for permitting the pair of resonace chambers to be put into communication with each other are disposed in the same plane of the valve unit and therefore, it is possible to provide a further compactified intake system and a simplified structure.

[0014] Further, to achieve the third object, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is proposed an intake device for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, comprising a pair of resonance chambers independ­ently communicating with groups of cylinders having such an order of ignition that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, and a pair of resonance passages communicating at their downstream sides with the resonance chambers and at their upstream sides with the atmosphere through a throttle valve, wherein the intake device further includes a communication chamber provided between the pair of resonance chambers, so that the resonance chambers communicate with each other through the communication chamber.

[0015] With the above construction, even if the volume of each of the resonance chambers is set at a value enough to provide an optimal resonance supercharge effect, the volume of a chamber resulting from the communication of the resonance chambers with each other to establish an inertia supercharge system in a higher speed operation region can be set at a sufficiently large and optimal value by proper setting of the volume of the communication chamber.

[0016] Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

[0017] Figs.1 to 5 illustrate a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein

Fig.1 is a front view in longitudinal section of details of a V-type six cylinder internal combustion engine equipped with an intake device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig.2 is a plan view of a cylinder block in the engine;

Fig.3 is an enlarged partial plan view taken along a line III-III in Fig.1;

Fig.4 is a sectional view taken along a line IV-IV in Fig.3; and

Fig.5 is a sectional view taken along a line V-V in Fig.3;

Figs.6 and 7 are sectional views of an intake system, similar to Figs.3 and 5, but showing a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig.8 and 9 are sectional views of an intake system, similar to Figs.4 and 5, but showing a modification of the second embodiment;

[0018] Figs.10 to 13 illustrate a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein

Fig.10 is a longitudinal sectioal view of details of a V-type six cylinder internal combustion engine equipped with an intake device according to the third embodiment of the present invention;

Fig.11 is an enlarged partial plan view taken along a line XI-XI in Fig.10;

Fig.12 is a sectional view taken along a line XII-XII in Fig.11; and

Fig.13 is a sectional view taken along a line XIII-XIII in Fig.12;

Fig.14 is a sectional view of an intake system, similar to Fig.11, but illustrating a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Figs.15 and 16 illustrate a fifth embodiment of the present invention, Fig.15 being a sectional view of an intake system, similar to Fig.11, and Fig.16 being a sectional view taken along a line XVI-XVI in Fig.15;

[0019] Figs.17 to 21 illustrate a sixth embodiment of the present invention, wherein

Fig.17 is a longitudinal sectioal view of details of a V-type six cylinder internal combustion engine equipped with an intake device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig.18 is an enlarged partial plan view taken along a line XVIII-XVIII in Fig.17;

Fig.19 is an enlarged partial plan view taken along a line XIX-XIX in Fig.17;

Fig.20 is a sectional view taken along a line XX-XX in Fig.18; and

Fig.21 is a sectional view taken along a line XXI-XXI in Fig.18;

Fig.22 is a sectional view of an intake system, similar to Fig.18, but illustrating a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figs.23 to 26 illustrate an eighth embodiment of the present invention, wherein

Fig.23 is a longitudinal sectional view of details of a V-type six cylinder internal combustion engine equipped with an intake device according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig.24 is an enlarged partial plan view taken along a line XXIV-XXIV in Fig.23;

Fig.25 is a sectional view taken along a line XXV-XXV in Fig.24; and

Fig.26 is a sectional view taken along a line XXVI-XXVI in Fig.24; and

Fig.27 is a sectional view of an intake system, similar to Fig.24, but illustrating a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figs.1 to 5 illustrate a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figs.1 and 2, a six-cylinder type internal combustion engine E comprises a pair of left and right engine blocks Bℓ, and Br located in a V-shaped arrangement. Each of the left and right engine blocks Bℓ, and Br comprises a cylinder block 1ℓ, 1r and a cylinder head 2ℓ, 2r joined or bonded to a deck surface of the cylinder block, respectively. Three left cylinders 3ℓ are formed in series in the left cylinder block 1ℓ, and three cylinders 3r are formed in series in the right cylinder block 1r. The three left cylinders 3ℓ constitute a left cylinder group Cℓ. The three right cylinders 3r also constitute a right cylinder group Cr. These cylinders have such an order of ignition that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, i.e., intake valves 10 which will be described hereinafter are not overlapped.

[0022] A piston 4 is slidably received in each of the left and right cylinders 3ℓ and 3r in a usual mamer. The pistons 4 are operatively connected to a crank shaft 6 through connecting rods 5. Each of the left and right cylinder heads 2ℓ and 2r is provided with a combustion chamber 7 and intake and exhaust ports 8 and 9 communicating with the combustion chamber 7. Each intake port 8 has an intake valve 10 provided therein for opening and closing the intake port 8, and each exhaust port 9 has an exhaust valve 11 provided therein for opening and closing the exhaust port 9. The intake and exhaust valves 10 and 11 may be opened and closed with a predetermined timing by a conventionally known valve operating mechanism 12.

[0023] An intake system In which will be described hereinafter is connected to the plurality of intake ports 8 in the left and right cylinder heads 2ℓ and 2r, and a conventionally known exhaust system which is not shown is connected to the plurality of exhaust ports 9 in the left and right cylinder heads 2ℓ and 2r.

[0024] The construction of the intake system In will be described below with reference to Figs.2 to 5. The intake system In is disposed in a V-space C between the left and right cylinder blocks 1ℓ and 1r and comprises an air cleaner Ac, an intake passage Pi connected to an outlet of the air cleaner Ac, a resonance chamber assembly box Bg having a pair of left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and connected to a downstream end of the intake passage Pi, and an intake manifold Mi which will be described hereinafter and is joined to those ends of the left and right cylinder blocks 1ℓ and 1r at which the intake ports 8 are opened, thereby permitting the communication between the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the right and left cylinder groups Cr and Cℓ, respectively.

[0025] The intake passage Pi is constructed with a throttle body 15 being integrally connected to a downstream end of an intake passage 14 connected to the air cleaner Ac, as shown in Fig.3. The intake passage 14 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape so that an intake gas from the air cleaner Ac may be drawn thereinto, and the throttle body 15 is also formed into a hollow cylindrical shape having substantially the same diameter as the intake passage 14. A throttle valve 20 is provided within the throttle body 15 and controlled for opening and closing by a control 19.

[0026] The resonance chamber assembly box Bg is integrally connected to a downstream end of the throttle body 15 by bolts 16. The resonance chamber assembly box Bg is comprised of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped assembly box body 21 opened at its upper surface and connected to the throttle body 15, and a lid 22 air-tightly mounted on the opened surface 21₁ by bolts 23. The lid 22 is formed integrally with the intake manifold Mi.

[0027] As clearly shown in Figs.3 and 4, the interior of the resonance chamber-assembled box Bg is divided into left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r arranged in parallel to each other by a resonance pipe 24 extending in a direction of the crank shaft 6 of the engine, i.e, in a direction of a flow of an intake gas within the box Bg. The resonance pipe 24 is comprised of vertical walls 24₂ which each include a short projection 24₁ extending from a front end wall of the assembly box body 21 toward the throttle body 15 and serve as a pair of dividing walls, and an angularly inclined partition wall 24₃ connecting a lower end of one of the vertical walls 24₂ with an upper end of the other vertical wall 24₂. The partition wall 24₃ extends from a connection with the throttle body 15 to a rear end of the the assembly box body 21, and the vertical walls 24₂ terminate at a point short of a rear end wall of the assembly box body 21. This defines a pair of resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r of triangular cross-section at a central portion of the assembly box body 21. The resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r permit the communication between the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r through left and right inlet ports 33ℓ and 33r at its downstream end.

[0028] An on-off valve 25 is provided in the resonance pipe 24 for permitting the pair of left and right resonace passages 18ℓ and 18r to be put into or out of communication with each other. A quadrilateral valve bore 26 is opened in a central portion of the partition wall 24₃ of the resonance pipe 24 in a facing relation to the opened surface 21, so that the left and right resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r may be put into communication with each other through such valve bore 26. The valve bore 26 is very easy of process by a tool or the like, because it faces to the opened surface 21₁.

[0029] A valve stem 27 is rotatably inserted in a central portion of the partition wall 24₃ of the resonance pipe 24 to extend from the outside of the assembly box body 21 along an axis of the intake system In. The valve stem 27 extends through the central portion of the valve bore 26. A rectangular plate-like valve member 28 to be mounted in the valve bore 26 is secured to the valve stem 27 by machine screws 30. One end of the valve stem 27 passes through a rear end wall of the assembly box body 21 and projects outside this rear end, and a conventionally known actuator 29 is connected to the projecting end of the valve stem 27. The actuator 29 is controlled for operation in accordance with an operational condition of the engine, so that the on-off valve 25 is controlled for opening and closing. For example, during a lower speed operation of the engine, the on-off valve 25 is closed, and during a higher speed operation of the engine, the on-off valve is opened.

[0030] Three left and right elliptic exhaust ports 34ℓ, 34r are opened in an upper wall of each of the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r along its longitudinal axis. The three exhaust ports 34ℓ in the left resonance chamber Cr-ℓ commnuicate respectively with the three cylinders 3r (in which the intake sequence is not continuous) in the right cylinder block 1r located on the opposite side from the left resonance chamber Cr-ℓ through the intake manifold Mi which will be described hereinafter, and the three exhaust ports 34r in the right resonance chamber Cr-r likewise communicate with the three cylinders 3 (in which the intake sequence is continuous) in the left cylinder block 1ℓ located on the opposite side from the right resonance chamber Cr-r through the intake manifold Mi which will be described hereinafter.

[0031] The intake manifold Mi comprises six first to sixth distributor pipes 35₁ to 35₆ which are convexly curved upwardly as shown in Figs.1 to 5 and which are integrally arranged side-by-side in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r to extend leftwardly and rightwardly in alternately opposite directions in an intersecting manner. The three alternate three of these pipes, i.e., second, fourth and sixth pipes 35₂, 35₄ and 35₆ communicate at their upstream ends with the three exhaust ports 34ℓ in the left resonance chamber Cr-ℓ, respectively and then extend to the opposite side from the resonance chamber Cr-ℓ to communicate at their downstream with the three cylinders 3r in the right cylinder block 1r. The remaining alternate three, i.e., first, third and fifth distributor pipes 35₁, 35₃ and 35₅ communicate at their upper ends with the three exhaust ports 34r in the right resonance chamber Cr-r and then extend to the opposite side from the resonance chamber Cr-r to communicate at their downstream ends with the three cylinders 3ℓ in the left cylinder block 1ℓ.

[0032] As shown in Fig.1, a fuel ejecting nozzle 36 is mounted on upper wall of a lower end of each of the first to sixth distributor pipes 35₁ to 35₆.

[0033] The first operation of this embodiment will be described below.

[0034] The actuator 29 is controlled for operation in accordance with the operational condition of the engine. For example, in the lower speed operational condition of the engine and when the on-off valve 25 is controlled to be closed as shown by a solid line in Figs.3 to 5 to close its valve bore 26, the left and right resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r are put out of communication with each other. In this state, there are established two series of intake systems comprising the entire length of the resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r of a length L₂ from a junction with the throttle body 15 to the inlet ports 33ℓ and 33r, the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r, and the left and right distributor pipes 35₁, 35₃, 35₅ and 35₂, 35₄, 35₆, i.e., two series of resonance supercharge intake systems which produce no suction interference and each extend from the three cylinders 3ℓ, 3r to the outlet of the throttle body 15. Moreover, the resonance supercharge system is relatively large in length and its natural frequency can be accorded with the period of opening and closing of each intake valve 10 in a region of lower rotation of the engine, thereby effectively exhibiting a resonance supercharge effect to enhance the volume efficiency in the lower rotation region of the engine.

[0035] On the other hand, when the engine has been brought into a higher speed operational condition, the on-off valve 25 is controlled to be opened, thereby permitting the left and right resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r to be put into communication with each other through the valve bore 26, and the substantial length of the left and right resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r is reduced to a length L₁ from the downstream end of the valve bore 26 to the inlet ports 33ℓ and 33r. In this state, the natural frequency of the two series of resonance intake systems is increased, and the period of intake pressure can be accorded with the period of opening and closing of the intake valve 10 when the engine is in high rotation, thereby effectively exhibiting a resonance supercharge effect in such operational region to enhance the volume efficiency.

[0036] Since the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-­r are defined partitioned by the resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r within the assembly box body 21, the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r are arranged in the V-space C with the vertical walls 24₂ interposed therebetween. Therefore, the pair of resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r and the pair of resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r can be reasonably united, leading to a compact size of the intake system.

[0037] Figs.6 and 7 illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein components corresponding to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference characters.

[0038] In the second embodiment, a resonance chamber assembly box Bg is comprised of a pair of left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r defined partitioned by a partition wall 24₃, and a pair of resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r defined outside the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r in parallel to the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and divided by vertical walls 24₂ as a pair of dividing walls. A down­stream portion of a throttle body 15 is bifurcated to form left and right passages 17ℓ and 17r whose downstream ends communicate with upstream ends of the resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r. Downstream ends of the resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r communicate with the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r through left and right inlet ports 33ℓ and 33r made in ends of the vertical walls 24₂.

[0039] An on-off valve 25′ is mounted in a central portion of the partition wall 24₃ partitioning the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and is controlled for opening and closing by an actuator 29. The opening of the on-­off valve 25′ permits the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r to be put into communication with each other to provide a common inertia supercharge distributor chamber Ch of a larger volume as shown by a two-dashed line in Fig.6.

[0040] With the second embodiment, the actuator 29 is controlled for operation in accordance with the operational condition of the engine. For example, when the engine is in a lower speed operation, the on-off valve 25′ is controlled to be closed, thereby putting the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r out of communication with each other. In this state, there are established two series of resonance supercharge intake systems which produce no suction inter­ference and comprise the branch passages 17ℓ and 17r of the throttle body, the left and right resonance passage 18ℓ and 18r, the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the left and right distributor pipes 35₁, 35₃, 35₅; 35₂, 35₄ 35₆. Moreover, the resonance supercharge system is relatively large in length, and its natural frequency can be substantially accorded with the period of opening and closing of the each intake valve 10 in a region of lower rotation of the engine, thereby effectively exhibiting a resonance supercharge effect to increase the volume efficiency.

[0041] On the other hand, when the engine has been brought into a higher speed operational condition, the on-off valve 25′ is controlled to be opened, thereby permitting the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r to be put into communication with each other to provide a common inertia supercharge distributor chamber Ch of a larger volume which commonly communicate with the left and right three cylinders 3ℓ and 3r. In this state, the two series of resonance supercharge systems are cancelled and instead, an inertia supercharge system is established with a negative pressure wave produced in an intake stroke of the engine being reflected and turned over in the larger-volume inertia supercharge distributor chamber Ch and with a positive pressure wave being propagated to the intake port 8 of the each cylinder 3ℓ, 3r. This increases the volume efficiency in the higher speed operation region of the engine.

[0042] Even in this embodiment, the arrangement of the pair of left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the pair of resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r in the V-space C with the vertical walls 24₂ interposed therebetween makes it possible to provide a compact size of the intake system.

[0043] Figs.8 and 9 illustrate a modification of the second embodiment, wherein components corresponding to those in the previous second embodiment are designated by the same reference characters.

[0044] In this modification, a resonance chamber assembly box Bg is comprised of a pair of left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r defined partitioned by a partition wall 24₃ provided with an on-off valve 25′, and a pair of resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r defined below and in parallel to the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and divided from the resonance chambers by horizontal walls 24₅ as a pair of dividing walls. A downstream end of a throttle body 15 communicates with upstream ends of the resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r whose downstream ends communicate with the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r through left and right inlet ports 33ℓ and 33r made in ends of the horizontal walls 24₅.

[0045] Thus, even in this modification, it is possible to provide the same functioning effect as in the previous second embodiment. Particularly, this modification is available when it is required the transverse width of the resonance chamber assembly box Bg.

[0046] In the previously-described first embodiment, the resonance supercharge system is switched in the two-stage manner by putting the intermediate portions of the pair of resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r into and out of communication with each other by the operation of the on-off valve 25, and in the second embodiment and the modification thereof, the resonance supercharge system and the inertia supercharge system are switched one from the other by putting the pair of resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r into and out of communication with each other by the operation of the on-off valve 25′, but in short, given an intake system which comprises a pair of resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and a pair of resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r so as to enable the establishment of a resonance supercharge system, the present invention can be applied thereto and the on-off valve 25 or 25′ may not necessarily be required. In addition, for a layout of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r, it is possible, in addition to those in the previous embodiments, to arrange a pair of resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and a pair of resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r in parallel in an overlapped relation.

[0047] Figs.10 and 13 illustrate a third embodiment. An intake system In of this embodiment is dispoed within a V-space C between the left and right cylinder blocks 1ℓ and 1r and comprises an air cleaner Ac, an intake passage Pi connected to an outlet of the air cleaner Ac, a resonance chamber assembly box Bg having a pair of left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and connected to a downstream end of the intake passage Pi, and an intake manifold Mi joined to those end faces of the left and right cylinder blocks 1ℓ and 1r at which the intake ports 8 are opened, thereby permitt­ing the communication between the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the right and left cylinder groups Cr and Cℓ, respectively.

[0048] The intake passage Pi is constructed with a throttle body 15 being integrally connected to a downstream end of an intake passage 14 connected to the air cleaner Ac, as shown in Fig.11. The intake passage 14 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape so that an intake gas from the air cleaner Ac may be drawn thereinto, and the throttle body 15 is bifurcated, downstream its junction with the intake passage 14, into left and right branch passages 18ℓ and 18r. Throttle valves 20ℓ and 20r are mounted within the branch passages 18ℓ and 18r, respectively and controlled for opening and closing by a common control 19. The resonance chamber assembly box Bg is integrally connected to a downstream end of the throttle body 15 by bolts 16.

[0049] As seen from Figs.12 and 13, the resonance chamber assembly box Bg is comprised of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped lower assembly box portion 21₁ opened at its upper surface and connected to the throttle body 15, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped lower assembly box portion 21₂ opened at its lower surface and formed integrally with an intake manifold Mi, and a plate-­like valve unit 22 air-tightly secured at its upper and lower surfaces to the opened surfaces of the assembly box portions 21₁ and 21₂ to provide a partition wall. These three components are assembled in a vertically stacked relation by bolts 23.

[0050] It can be seen from Figs.11 to 13 that the lower assembly portion 21₁ of the resonance chamber assembly box Bg is divided into left and right resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r extending in parallel to each other in a direction of a crank shaft 6 of an engine, i.e., in a direction of a flow of an intake gas within the box Bg. Downstream ends of the left and right branch passages 18ℓ and 18r of the throttle body 15 communicate with upstream ends of the left and right resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r, respectively. The upper assembly box portion 21₂ is also divided into left and right parallel resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r by a partition wall 24. One of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ is located above corresponding one of the resonance passages 25ℓ, and the other resonance chamber Cr-r is located above the other resonance passage 25r.

[0051] Opened in the valve unit 22 are left and right inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r permitting upstream ends of the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r to communicate with downstream ends of the corresponding resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r, respectively, and left and right valve bores 27ℓ and 27r which short-circuit the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r at points short of the inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r. The valve unit 22 is further provided with on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r which are capable of opening the left and right valve bores 27ℓ and 27r to short-circuit the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r. More specifically, two valve stems 30ℓ and 30r are carried in the valve unit 22 to extend through central portions of inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r and the valve bores 27ℓ and 27r and adapted to be rotatably driven by a common actuator 29. Rectangular plate-like valve members 31a and 31b provided in the valve bores 27ℓ and 27r are secured to the valve stems 30ℓ and 20r by a machine screw 32. The actuator 29 is adapted to be controlled for operation in accordance with the operational condition of the engine, so that the on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r may be controlled for opening and closing. For example, during a lower speed operation of the engine, the on-off valve 28ℓ and 28r may be closed, and during a higher speed operation of the engine, the on-off valve 28ℓ and 28r may be closed.

[0052] Three elliptically-shaped left and right exhaust ports 34ℓ and 34r are opened in upper walls of the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r along their longitudinal axis. The three exhaust ports 34ℓ of the left resonance chamber Cr-ℓ communicate with the three cylinders 3r (in which the intake sequence is not continuous), respectively, in the right cylinder block 1r located on the opposite side from the left resonance chamber Cr-ℓ through the intake manifold Mi, and the the three exhaust ports 34r of the right resonance chamber Cr-r likewise communicate with the three cylinders 3ℓ (in which the intake sequence is not continuous), respectively, in the left cylinder block 1r located on the opposite side from the right resonance chamber Cr-r through the intake manifold Mi.

[0053] The operation of the third embodiment will be described below.

[0054] The actuator 29 is controlled for operation in accordance with the operational condition of the engine. For example, in a lower speed opera­tion condition of the engine and when the on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r are controlled to be closed as shown by a solid line in Figs. 11 to 13 to close their valve bores 27ℓ and 27r, the communication of the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r corresponding to the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r is cut off. In this state, there are established two series of intake systems which are comprises of the branch passages 18ℓ and 18r for each cylinder group, the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r for each cylinder group, left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r for each cylinder group, and left and right distributor pipes 35₁, 35₂, 35₃, 35₄, 35₅ and 35₆ for each cylinder group, i.e., two series of resonance supercharge intake systems which produce no suction interference and each extend from the three cylinders 3ℓ, 3r to the outlet of the throttle body 15. The length of such intake system is relatively long and moreover, the volume of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r is set such that the natural frequency of the resonance supercharge system may substantially accord with the period of opening and closing of each intake valve 10 in a lower speed rotation region of the engine. This ensures that a resonance supercharge effect is effectively exhibited to increase the volume efficiency in the lower speed rotation region of the engine.

[0055] When the engine has been brought into a higher speed operation, the actuator 29 is operated to open the left and right on-off valve 28ℓ and 28r, so that the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r which has been hitherto in communication with each other through the inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r are short-circuited. This reduces the substantial length of the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r and causes the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r to serve as portions of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r, thereby increasing the volume of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r to ensure that the natural frequency of the resonance supercharge system is increased so as to substantially accord with the period of opening and closing of each intake valve 10 in the higher speed operation region of the engine. As a result, the resonance supercharge effect is effectively exhibited to increase the volume efficiency in the higher speed rotation region of the engine.

[0056] By permitting the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r provided in the resonance assembly box Bg to be short-circuited and put out of communication with each other through the on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r as described above, it is possible to provide a higher volume efficiency in a wider operation range of from a lower speed to a higher speed. In addition, since the resonance chamber assembly box Bg is comprised of the upper and lower assembly box portions 21₂ and 21₁ vertically stacked and the valve unit 22, with the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r being defined in the upper assembly box portion 21₂, with the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r being defined in the lower assembly box portion 21₁ and with the inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r and the on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r being provided in the valve unit 22, it is possible to form the resonance chamber assembly box Bg extremely compactly and to reduce the manufacturing cost thereof.

[0057] A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig.14.

[0058] Fig.14 is a sectional view of the same intake system as in Fig.11, wherein the same reference characters as in the previous embodiment designate the same components.

[0059] In the fourth embodiment, two on-off valves 28ℓ₁, 28r₂; 28ℓ₂, 28r₂ are used into which are divided the left and right on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r for short-circuiting the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r described in the previous embodiments, respectively. The on-off valves 28ℓ₁ and 28r₁ are mounted on valve stems 30ℓ₁ and 30r₁ rotatably driven by an actuator 29₁, respectively and the on-off valves 28ℓ₂ and 28r₂ are mounted on valve stems 30ℓ₂ and 30r₂ rotatably driven by an actuator 29₂, respectively.

[0060] According to this embodiment, all the on-off valves 28ℓ₁, 28r₁; 28ℓ₂, 28r₂ are closed in a lower speed rotation region of the engine, as in the previous embodiments, and the volume efficiency is increased in such lower speed rotation region. In a middle speed rotation region of the engine, one of the actuators 29₁ is driven to open the on-­off valves 28ℓ₁ and 28r₁ closer to the inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r. This reduces the substantially length of the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r slightly and causes portions of the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r to serve as portions of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r, thereby slightly increasing the substantial volume of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r to ensure that the natural frequency of the resonance supercharge system is increased to substantially correspond with the period of opening and closing of each intake valve 10. Further, in a higher speed operation region of the engine, both the actuators 29₁ and 29₂ are driven to open all the on-off valves 28ℓ₁, 28r₁, 28ℓ₂ and 28r₂ as in the previous embodiment, thereby increasing the volume efficiency in such higher speed rotation region.

[0061] According to the fourth embodiment, the natural frequency of the resonance supercharge system can be switched at three stages in this manner and therefore, the resonance supercharge effect is effectively exhibited in a wider range of from a lower speed operation region to a higher speed operation region to increase the volume efficiency of the engine.

[0062] A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference with Figs.15 and 16.

[0063] Figs.15 and 16 are sectional views of the same intake system as in Figs.11 and 12, wherein the same reference characters denotes the same components.

[0064] In the fifth embodiment, a resonance chamber assembly box Bg connected to a downstream of a throttle body 15′ including a throttle valve 20′ provided therein is comprised of an assembly body 21₁′ and a lid 21₂′ covering an upper surface of the body 21₁′. The interior of the resonance chamber assembly box Bg is divided laterally by a dividing wall 24′ extending longitudinally of the crankshaft 6. A pair of valve units 22ℓ′ and 22r′ forming a partition wall are mounted on the left and right sides of the dividing wall 24′ and sandwiched vertically between the assembly box body 21₁′ and the lid 21₂′, and a pair of resonance passages 25ℓ′ and 25r′ are defined between the left and right valve units 22ℓ′ and 22r′ and the dividing wall 24′. A left Cr-ℓ and a right resonance chamber Cr-r are defined outside the left and right valve units 22ℓ′ and 22r′, and the two resonnace chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r communicate with downstream ends of the resonance passages 25ℓ′ and 25r′ through inlet ports 26ℓ′ and 26r′ made in the valve units 22ℓ′ and 26r′, respectively.

[0065] Valve bores 27ℓ′ and 27r′ are opened in the valve units 22ℓ′ and 22r′, respectively, and on-off valves 28ℓ′ and 28r′ are mounted for opening and closing in the valve bores 27ℓ′ and 27r′ and connected to an actuator 29′. The on-off valves 28r′ and 28ℓ′ have the same structure as the on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r in the previous embodiments, i.e., a structure with a rectangular valve members 31ℓ′ and 31r′ secured by machine screws 32′ to valve stems 30ℓ′ and 30r′ extending through the valve borders 27ℓ′ and 27r′ made in the valve units 22ℓ′ and 22r′.

[0066] According to this embodiment, the on-off valves 28ℓ′ and 28r′ are closed in a lower speed operation region of the engine, so that the left and right resonance passages 25ℓ′ and 25r′ are put into communication through their entire lengths with the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r. This establishes a resonance supercharge intake system having an increased passage length and a smaller natural frequency to increase the volume efficiency in a lower speed rotation region.

[0067] When the engine has been brought into a higher speed operation, the actuator 29 is operated to open the left and right on-off valves 28ℓ′ and 28r′, so that the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ′ and 25r′ which have been hitherto in communication with each other through the inlet ports 26ℓ′ and 26r′ are short-circuited through the valve bores 27ℓ′ and 27r′ to reduce the substantial length of the resonance passages 25ℓ′ and 25r′, and the resonance passages 25ℓ′ and 25r′ serve as portions of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r to increase the substantial volume of the chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and enhance the volume efficiency in the higher speed rotation region.

[0068] Even in the fifth embodiment, it is possible to simplify and compact the structure of the intake system by virtue of a reasonable layout of the resonance passages 25ℓ′ and 25r′, the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-­r, the valve units 22ℓ′ and 22r′ and the on-off valves 28ℓ′ and 28r′.

[0069] Figs.17 to 21 illustrate a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an intake system In is disposed within a V-space C between left and right cylinder blocks 1ℓ and 1r and comprises an air cleaner Ac, an intake passage Pi connected to an outlet of the air cleaner Ac, a resonance chamber assembly box Bg including a pair of left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r, and an intake manifol Mi joined to that end faces of the left and right cylinder blocks 1ℓ and 1r to which an intake port 8 is opened, thereby permitting the communication between the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the left and right cylinder groups Cr and Cℓ.

[0070] The passage Pi is constructed with a throttle body 15 integrally connected to a downstream end of an intake passage 14 connected to the air cleaner Ac, as shown in Fig.18. The intake passage 14 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape so that an intake gas may be drawn thereinto from the air cleaner Ac. The throttle body 15 is bifurcated into left and right branch passages 18ℓ and 18r downstream its connection with the intake passage 14, and throttle valves 20ℓ and 20r are provided in the branch passages 18ℓ and 18r and controllable for opening and closing by a common control 19. The resonance chamber assembly box Bg is integrally connected to a downstream end of the throttle body 15 by bolts 16.

[0071] It can be seen from Figs. 20 and 21 that the resonance chamber assembly box Bg is comprised of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped lower assembly box portion 21₁ opened at its upper surface and connected to the throttle body 15, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped upper assembly box portion 21₂ opened at its lower surface and formed integrally with an intake manifold Mi, and a plate-­like valve unit 22 air-tightly secured at its upper and lower surfaces to the opened surfaces of the assembly box portions 21₁ and 21₂. These three components are assembled in a vertically stacked relation by bolts 23.

[0072] It can be seen from Figs.18 to 21 that the lower assembly portion 21₁ of the resonance chamber assembly box Bg is divided into left and right resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r parallel to each other and a communication chamber portion Cs as communication passages located between the left and right resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r by two partition walls 24ℓ and 24r extending in a direction of a crank shaft 6 of an engine, i.e., in a direction of a flow of an intake gas within the box Bg. Downstream ends of the left and right branch passages 18ℓ and 18r of the throttle body 15 communicate with upstream ends of the left and right resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r, respectively. The upper assembly box portion 21₂ is also divided into left and right parallel resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r by a partition wall 24 curved like a crank. Such curved portion of the partition wall 24s is located just above the communication chamber portion Cs defined in the lower assembly box portion 21₁.

[0073] Opened in the valve unit 22 are left and right inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r permitting upstream ends of the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r to communicate with downstream ends of the corresponding resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r, respectively, left and right two valve bores 27ℓ and 27r which short-circuit the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r at points short of the inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r, and two valve bores 27s permitting left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r to communicate with each other through the communication chamber portion Cs. The valve unit 22 is further provided with on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r capable of opening the left and right two valve bores 27ℓ and 27r to short-circuit the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passage 25ℓ and 25r, and an on-off valve 28s capable of opening the valve bore 27s to put the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r into integral communication with each other through the communication chamber Cs. More specifically, two left and right valve stems 30ℓ and 30r are carried in the valve unit 22 to extend through central portions of inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r and the valve bores 27ℓ and 27r and adapted to be rotatably driven by a common actuator 29. Rectangular plate-­like valve members 31a and 31b provided in the valve bores 27ℓ and 27r are secured to the valve stems 30ℓ and 30r by machine screws 32. A central valve stem 30s is also carried in the valve unit 22 to extend through the central valve bore 27s and adapted to be rotatably driven by another actuator 33, and a rectangular plate-like valve member 31s provided in the valve bore 27s is secured to the valve stem 30s by machine screws 32. The two actuators 29 and 30 are adapted to be controlled for operation in accordance with the operational condition of the engine, so that the opening and closing of the on-off valves 28ℓ, 28r and 28s may be controlled.

[0074] Three elliptically-shaped left and right exhaust ports 34ℓ and 34r are opened in upper walls of the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r along their longitudinal axis. The three exhaust ports 34ℓ of the left resonance chamber Cr-ℓ communicate with the three cylinders 3r (in which the suction sequence is not continuous), respectively, in the right cylinder block 1r located on the opposite side from the left resonance chamber Cr-ℓ through the intake manifold Mi, and the three exhaust ports 34r of the right resonance chamber Cr-r likewise communicate with the three cylinders 3ℓ (in which the suction sequence is not continuous), respectively, in the left cylinder block 1ℓ located on the opposite side from the right resonance chamber Cr-r through the intake manifold Mi.

[0075] The operation of the sixth embodiment will be described below.

[0076] The two actuator 29 and 30 are controlled for operation in accordance with the operational condition of the engine. For example, in a low-level lower speed operation condition in which the rotational speed of the engine is extremely low, when all the on-off valves 28ℓ, 28r and 28s are controlled to be closed as shown by a solid line in Figs.18 to 21 to close their valve bores 27ℓ, 27r and 27s, the communication of the left and right resonance chambers Cr- and Cr-r is cut off, and the communication of the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r corresponding to the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r is also cut off. In this state, there are established two series of intake systems which are comprised of the branch passages 18ℓ and 18r for each cylinder group, the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r for each cylinder group, left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r for each cylinder group, and left and right distributor pipes 35₁, 35₂, 35₃, 35₄, 35₅ and 35₆ for each cylinder group, i.e., two series of resonance supercharge intake system which produce no suction interference and each extend from the three cylinders 3ℓ and 3r to the outlet of the throttle body 15. Moreover, the volume of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r is set such that the natural frequency of the resonance supercharge system may accord with the period of opening and closing of each intake valve 10 in the low-level lower speed rotation region of the engine and hence, the resonance supercharge effect is effectively exhibited to increase the volume efficiency in the low-level lower speed rotation region of the engine.

[0077] When the rotational speed of the engine has been slightly increased into a high-level lower speed operational condition in which the rotational speed of the engine is higher than the low-level lower speed operation condition but lower than the middle speed operational condition, the actuator 29 is operated to open the left and right on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r, thereby permitting the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r which have been hitherto in communication through the inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r to be short-circuited through the valve bores 27ℓ and 27r. This reduces the substantial length of the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r to increase the natural frequency of the resonance supercharge system so as to substantially accord with the period of opening and closing of each intake valve 10 in the high-level lower speed rotation region of the engine. As a result, the resonance supercharge effect is effectively exhibited to increase the volume efficiency in the high-level lower speed rotation region of the engine.

[0078] When the engine has been brought into a higher speed rotational condition, the actuator 33 is further operated to open the on-off valve 28s to put the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the communication chamber Cs into communication with one another through the two valve bores 27s, thereby establishing an inertia supercharge distributing chamber Ch of a larger volume shown by a two-dashed line in Figs.20 and 21, which commonly communicates with the left and right three cylinders 3ℓ and 3r. In this state, the above-described two series of resonance intake systems are cancelled and instead, an inertia supercharge system is established with a negative pressure wave produced in an intake stroke of the engine being reflected and turned in the larger volume inertia supercharge distributing chamber Ch and with a positive pressure wave being propagated to the intake port 8 of each cylinder 3ℓ, 3r. Moreover, the passage length of propagation of the negative positive pressure wave is reduced to enable the period of intake pressure to accord with the period of opening and closing of intake valve 10 during a high speed rotation of the engine. At this time, proper setting of the volume of the communication chamber Cs makes it possible to insure a larger volume of the inertia supercharge distributing chamber Ch required to enhance the inertia supercharge effect in a high speed rotation region of the engine, thereby effectively exhibiting the inertia supercharge effect in such operational region to increase the volume efficiency. In should be noted that even if the on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r are in any of opened and closed states in such higher speed rotational region of the engine, there is no substantial influence, because the two series of resonance intake systems have been already cancelled and the inertia supercharge system has been established.

[0079] By putting the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r provided in the resonance assembly box Bg or the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r into and out of communication with each other through the on-off valves 28ℓ, 28r and 28s as described above, it is possible to provide a higher volume efficiency in a wider operation range of from a lower speed to a higher speed. In addition, since the resonance chamber assembly box Bg is comprised of the vertically stacked upper and lower assembly box portions 21₂ and 21₁, and the valve unit 22, with the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r being defined in the upper assembly box portion 21₂, with the pair of resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r and the communication chamber being defined in the lower assembly box portion 21₁ and with the inlet ports 26ℓ and 26r and the on-off valves 28ℓ, 28r and 28s being provided in the valve unit 22, it is possible to form the resonance chamber assembly box Bg extremly compactly and moreover to reduce the manufacturing cost thereof.

[0080] A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig.22.

[0081] Fig.22 is a sectional view of an intake system, similar to Fig.18, wherein the same reference characters as in the previously described sixth embodiment designate the same components.

[0082] Omitted in the seventh embodiment are the left and right on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r for short-circuiting the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the resonance passages 25ℓ and 25r, and the actuator 29 for driving the on-off valves 28ℓ and 28r, which have been used in the previous embodiment.

[0083] The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment is that the resonance supercharge effect is obtained at two stage in the lower speed rotation region of the engine in the previous embodiment, whereas the resonance supercharge is obtained only at one stage in the lower speed rotation region of the engine in this embodiment. However, with regard to the compactification of the resonance chamber assembly box Bg and for the reduction of the manufacturing cost, this embodiment has the same effect as in the previous embodiment.

[0084] In the sixth and seventh embodiments, the duties of the upper and lower assembly box portions 21₁ and 21₂ may be exchanged from each other and hence, the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r can be defined in the lower assembly box portion 21₁, and the pair of resonance passages 25r and 25ℓ and the communication chamber Cs can be defined in the upper assembly box portion 21₂.

[0085] Figs.23 to 26 illustrate an eighth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an intake system In is disposed within a V-space C between the left and right cylinder blocks 1ℓ and 1r and comprises an air cleaner Ac, an intake passage Pi connected to an outlet of the air cleaner Ac, a resonance chamber assembly box Bg having a pair of left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and connected to a downstream end of the intake passage Pi, and an intake manifold Mi joined to those end faces of the left and right cylinder blocks 1ℓ and 1r at which the intake ports 8 are opened, thereby permitting the communication between the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the right and left cylinder groups Cr and Cℓ, respectively.

[0086] The intake passage Pi is constructed with a throttle body 15 being integrally connected to a downstream end of an intake passage 14 connected to the air cleaner Ac, as shown in Fig.24. The intake passage 14 is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape so that an intake gas from the air cleaner Ac may be drawn thereinto, and the throttle body 15 is bifurcated, at a downstream of the junction with the intake passage 14, into left and right branch passages 18ℓ and 18r. Throttle valves 20ℓ and 20r are mounted within the branch passages 18ℓ and 18r, respectively and controllable for opening and closing by a common control 19. The resonance chamber assembly box Bg is integrally connected to a downstream end of the throttle body 15 by bolts 16.

[0087] The resonance chamber assembly box Bg is comprised of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped lower assembly box body 21 opened at its upper surface and connected to the throttle body 15, and a lid 22 air-tightly mounted on the opened upper surface by bolts 23. The lid 22 is formed in an integral relation to the intake manifold Mi.

[0088] It can be seen from Figs.25 and 26 that the resonance chamber assembly box Bg is divided into left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ anbd Cr-r extending in parallel to each other and a communication chamber Cs located between the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r by two partition walls 24ℓ and 24r extending in a direction of a crank shaft 6 of an engine, i.e., in a direction of a flow of an intake gas within the box Bg. Downstream ends of the left and right branch passages 18ℓ and 18r of the throttle body 15 communicate with upstream ends of the left and right resonance chaqmbers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r, respectively.

[0089] On-off valves 25ℓ and 25r and mounted in the two partition walls 24ℓ and 24r for permitting the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the communication chamber Cs to be put into and out of communication with each other. More specifically, quadrilateral valve bores 26ℓ and 26r are opened in the partition walls 24ℓ and 24r, respectively, and rotatable valve stems 27ℓ and 27r are inserted into central portions of the partition walls 24ℓ and 24r from the outside of the assembly box body 21 in a longitudinal direction of the intake system to extend through central portions of the valve bores 26ℓ and 26r, respectively. Rectangular plate-like valve members 28ℓ and 28r mounted in the valve bores 26ℓ and 26r are secured to the valve stems 27ℓ and 27r by machine screws 30, respectively. A portion of each of the valve stems 27ℓ and 27r passes through a rear end wall of the assembly box body 21 to project outside the rear end wall, and a conventionally know actuator 29 is connected to such projecting ends. The actuator 29 is controlled for operation in accordance with the operational condition of the engine so as to control the opening and closing of the on-off valves 25ℓ and 25r. For example, during a lower speed operation of the engine, the on-off valves 25ℓ and 25r may be controlled to be closed, and during a higher speed operation, the on-off valves 25ℓ and 25r may be controlled to be opened.

[0090] The volume of the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r with the on-off valves 25ℓ and 25r closed is set at a level such that an optimal resonance supercharge effect may be obtained in a lower speed rotation region of the engine. The volume of the communication chamber Cs is set at a level such that when the on-off valves 25ℓ and 25r have been controlled to be opened, thereby putting the left and right chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the communication chamber Cs into communication with one another to establish a larger-­volume inertia supercharge distributing chamber Ch shown by a two-dashed line in Fig.24, the volume of this larger-­volume inertia supercharge distributing chamber Ch may be equal to a volume enough to provide an optimal inertia supercharge effect in a higher speed rotation region of the engine.

[0091] Three elliptically-shaped left and right exhaust ports 34ℓ and 34r are opened in upper walls of the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r along their longitudinal axis. The three exhaust ports 34ℓ of the left resonance chamber Cr-ℓ communicate with the three cylinders 3r (in which the suction sequence is not continuous), respectively, in the right cylinder block 1r located on the opposite side from the left resonance chamber Cr-ℓ through the intake manifold Mi, and the three exhaust ports 34r of the right resonance chamber Cr-r likewise communicate with the three cylinders 3ℓ (in which the suction sequence is not continuous), respectively, in the left cylinder block 1ℓ located on the opposite side from the right resonance chamber Cr-r through the intake manifold Mi.

[0092] The operation of the eighth embodiment will be described below.

[0093] The actuator 29 is controlled for operation in accordance with the operational condition of the engine. For example, in a lower speed operation condition of the engine and when the on-off valves 25ℓ and 25r are controlled to be closed as shown by a solid line in Figs.24 to 26 to close their valve bores 26ℓ and 26r, the communication of the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r is cut off. In this state, there are established two series of intake systems comprising the resonance passages 18ℓ and 18r for each cylinder group, the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r for each cylinder group, and the left and right distributor pipes 35₁, 35₂, 35₃, 35₄, 35₅ and 35₆ for each cylinder group, i.e., two series of resonance super­charge intake systems which produce no suction interference and each extend from the three cylinders 3ℓ, 3r to the outlet of the throttle body 15. Moreover, the volume of the resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r is set such that the natural frequency of the resonance supercharge system may substantially accord with the period of opening and closing of each intake valve 10 in a lower speed rotaiton region of the engine. This ensures that the resonance supercharge effect is effectively exhibited to increase the volume efficiency in the lower speed rotaiton region of the engine.

[0094] When the engine has been brought into a higher speed operation, the on-off valve 25ℓ and 25r are controlled to be opened, permitting the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the communication chamber Cs to be put into communication with one another through the valve bores 26ℓ and 26r, thereby establishing a larger volume inertia supercharge distributing chamber Ch which communicates commonly with left and right three cylinders 3ℓ and 3r. In this state, the two series of resonance intake systems are cancelled and instead, an inertia supercharge system is established with a negative pressure wave produced in an intake stroke of the engine being reflected and turned in the larger volume inertia supercharge distributing chamber Ch and with a positive pressure wave being propagated to the intake port 8 of each cylinder 3ℓ, 3r. Moreover, the passage length of propagation of the negative and positive pressure waves is reduced to enable the period of intake pressure to accord with the period of opening and closing of intake valve 10 during a high speed rotation of the engine. Further, proper setting of the volume of the communication chamber Cs makes it possible to insure a larger volume of the inertia supercharge distributing chamber Ch required to enhance the inertia supercharge effect in a high speed rotation region of the engine, thereby effectively exhibiting the inertia supercharge effect in such operational region to increase the volume efficiency.

[0095] In addition, since the pair of resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r and the communication chamber are integrally defined within the resonance chamber assembly box Bg and moreover, since the on-off valves 25ℓ and 25r are provided in the partition walls 24ℓ and 24r, the structure of the intake system can be simplified and the shape thereof can be made compact.

[0096] Fig.27 is a sectional view of an intake system, similar to Fig.26, wherein the same reference characters as in the previously-described eighth embodiment designate the same components.

[0097] In this ninth embodiment, the structure of on-off valves 25ℓ′ and 25r′ in the resonance chamber assembly box Bg deffers from that in the previously described first embodiment. More specifically, two valve bores 26ℓ′, 26r′ are opened in each of the left and right partition walls 24ℓ and 24r. These four valve bores 26ℓ′ and 26r′ may be opened and closed all together by the corresponding sets of two on-­off valves 25ℓ′ and 25r′ secured to left and right valve stems 27ℓ′ and 27r′.

[0098] According to this embodiment, the left and right resonance chambers Cr-ℓ and Cr-r may be put in a moment into communication with the communication chamber Cs through the correspnding left and right sets of two valve bores 26ℓ′ and 26r′ to establish an inertia supercharge distributing chamber Ch. This enables an increase in responsivity thereof.

[0099] It is to be clearly understood that there are no particular features of the foregoing specification, or of any claims appended hereto, which are at present regarded as being essential to the performance of the present invention, and that any one or more of such features or combinations thereof may therefore be included in, added to, omitted from or deleted from any of such claims if and when amended during the prosecution of this application or in the filing or prosecution of any divisional application based thereon. Furthermore the manner in which any of such features of the specification or claims are described or defined may be amended, broadened or otherwise modified in any manner which falls within the knowledge of a person skilled in the relevant art, for example so as to encompass, either implicitly or explicitly, equivalents or generalisations thereof.

Claims

1. An intake device for a multi-cylinder internal combus­tion engine, said engine being V-shaped and including left and right groups of cylinders having such an order of igni­tion that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, and said intake device comprising a pair of resonance chambers independently communicating with said left and right groups of cylinders, and a pair of resonance passages communicating at their downstream sides with the resonance chambers and at their upstream sides with the atmosphere through a throttle valve, wherein said pair of resonance chambers and said pair of resonance passages are disposed in parallel in a V-space defined between the left and right groups of cylinders, with a common dividing wall interposed therebetween.

2. An intake device according to claim 1, further includ­ing an on-off valve provided in said dividing wall and capable of changing the length of said resonance passages.

3. An intake device for a multi-cylinder internal combus­tion engine, comprising a pair of resonance chambers independ­ently communicating with groups of cylinders having such an order of ignition that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, and a pair of resonance passages communicating at their downstream sides with the resonance chambers and at their upstream sides with the atmosphere through a throttle valve, wherein said intake device further includes a resonance chamber assembly box which comprises an upper assembly box portion opened at a lower surface thereof, a lower assembly box portion opened at an upper surface thereof, and a plate-like valve unit dividing the opened surfaces of the upper and lower assembly box por­tions, said pair of resonance chambers being formed in one of the assembly box portions, said pair of resonance passages being formed in the other assembly box portion, and an on-off valve capable of changing suction characteristics of the internal combustion engine being provided in the valve unit.

4. An intake device according to claim 3, wherein the length of said resonance passages is changed by means of said on-off valve.

5. An intake device according to claim 3, wherein said resonance chambers are put into communication with each other by means of said on-off valve.

6. An intake device for a multi-cylinder internal combus­tion engine, comprising a pair of resonance chambers independ­ently communicating with groups of cylinders having such an order of ignition that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, and a pair of resonance passages communicating at their downstream sides with the resonance chambers and at their upstream sides with the atmosphere through a throttle valve, wherein said intake device further includes a resonance chamber assembly box which comprises an upper assembly box portion opened at a lower surface thereof, a lower assembly box portion opened at an upper surface thereof, and a plate-like valve unit dividing the opened surfaces of said upper and lower assembly box por­tions, said pair of resonance chambers being formed in one of the assembly box portions, the pair of resonance passages being formed in the other assembly box portion, and said valve unit including an on-off valve for changing the length of said resonance passages and another on-off valve for permitting said resonance chambers to be put into communi­cation with each other, said both valves being disposed in a plane where said valve unit lies.

7. An intake device for a multi-cylinder internal combus­tion engine, comprising a pair of resonance chambers independently communicating with groups of cylinders having such an order of ignition that any one of the cylinders is not ignited immediately before or after ignition of the other cylinders of the same group, and a pair of resonance passages communicating at their downstream sides with the resonance chambers and at their upstream sides with the atmosphere through a throttle valve, wherein said intake device further includes a communication chamber provided between said pair of resonance chambers, so that said resonance chambers communicate with each other through said communication chamber.

8. An intake device according to claim 7, wherein said intake device further includes a resonance chamber assembly box which comprises an upper assembly box portion opened at a lower surface thereof, a lower assembly box portion opened at an upper surface thereof, and a plate-like valve unit dividing the opened surfaces of the upper and lower assembly box portions, said pair of resonance chambers being formed in one of the assembly box portions, said pair of resonance passages being formed in the other assembly box portion, and an on-off valve capable of chang­ing suction characteristics of the internal combustion engine being provided in the valve unit.

Drawing